South Arm United Church's Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Today we look at the prophet Jeremiah's message that amid trying times in the world, those connected to The Source will fair better than those without God. Those who rely on humankind and the things of this world and turn away from God will be like a shrub in the desert. Those who are connected to God on the other hand will find that while a drought happens, they still bear f...

Send us Fan Mail After 23 years with South Arm United Church, our beloved Music Minister, Ron Stevenson is retiring. While he will still be helping us out until the end of March, today we planned a retirement party and send-off for him. As part of the service, our Ministry & Personnel (Human Resources team) expressed their gratitude and Ron was presented with a book of well wishes from each pe...

Send us Fan Mail Grab a cracker or piece of bread and some juice and join us virtually as we gather together around God's table to remember how Jesus called his followers to "do this in remembrance of me." 

Send us Fan Mail 509 is the hymn number in Voices United based on this passage, "Here I am Lord/I the Lord of Sea and Sky". Today we talk about Empire, the temporary nature of world rulers vs. God's eternal rule and wonder how we might be vulnerable before God and each other. We speak of confession and forgiveness and wonder how the church might be a place of vulnerability, confessi...

Send us Fan Mail Today we welcomed guest speaker Lynda Dickson who is finishing her studies to be a Diaconal Minister in The United Church of Canada. Diaconal Minister's are particularly called to focus on the church in the world beyond Sunday service. Hear about her recent visit to The United States down around the Texas-Mexico boarder and the humanitarian work happening on the ground there....

Send us Fan Mail Each person has God-given talents and abilities with which to serve God. No gift is better than any other. They are all needed and all useful for God's service within the church and in the world. Something magnificent happens when each of us bring our talents and abilities to the table and combine all our gifts. Alone we can do wonderful things but together, something exponen...

Send us Fan Mail "Christmastide" is the season that lasts from Christmas Day to Epiphany. Today we mark the end of that season, Epiphany. Epiphany is the day the Magi finally get to see the baby Jesus and present their gifts before the King of Kings. These wise men were astrologers and dream interpreters. Mystics we might call them. And the God of the universe spoke their language, leadi...

Send us Fan Mail Grab a piece of Bread or a cracker and some grape juice and join us as we gather at Jesus' table where all are welcome! On the night before he was to be betrayed, Jesus gathered his followers in the upper room at shared this sacred meal with them. He commanded them to 'do this is remembrance of me'. And so, on the 1st Sunday of each month, we do. We do share of the...

Send us Fan Mail This Very special podcast episode we present to you our entire Christmas Eve service (sermon begins at the 52:10 mark). Along with our Christmas Eve worship, we enjoyed the South Arm surprise singers and the extraordinary guest piano skills of Miri Lee. With Miri Lee on piano all night long, Ron was able to accompany on the organ throughout so that we were spoiled with a church fu...

Send us Fan Mail Dear Listener, Please turn the volume up for the Sermon.  In the excitement of the day when beloved, retired South Arm Minister The Rev. Gary Gaudin and his beautiful wife Peggy came to pay tribute to our retiring Music Minister Ron plus the Pageant energy, it seems our Minister Lauren forgot to turn on her lapel microphone for the sermon. So, you are picking up the sound from the...

Send us Fan Mail Advent Week 3. Nothing is impossible for God!  Music between the scripture and sermon "There Was a Child in Galilee/Dreaming Mary" (More Voices Hymnal #134). Words & Music: Janet Gadeski, 2005. Podcast/Streamed with Permission under One License Number: A-607425 & CCLI 2453477   

Send us Fan Mail Listen in as Jean-Ann, Julie & Trish gather the young folks in our midst and tells us a story that engages the theme of the week - On the Way to Bethlehem - Joy.

Send us Fan Mail Advent Week 4: Love. For the 3rd Sunday in a row we hear of an awesome angel visitation. This time, the angel visits shepherds watching their flocks by night. They are told of the Christ child and instructed to go see the Holy One who quite unexpectedly, is found as a humble babe wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger.   Music between the scripture and sermon "The Snow Lay...

Send us Fan Mail The Annual Christmas Pageant is always a lot of fun. I sometimes wonder who has the most fun? Is it the children, the grown up's involved or all who attend and get to listen in, watch and giggle at the costumes, props and multiple pieces that come together? This year the pageant was interspersed with song throughout which made the event especially interactive and added an ext...

Send us Fan Mail Alpha is the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. So today we explore what it means that God is the first, the last and everything in between. From A-Z, Alpha to Omega, God is God over all, in all and through all.  Music between the scripture and sermon "Come to My Heart" (Voices United Hymnal #661). Words & Music: Joe Pinson, 1979. Copyright Joe P...

Send us Fan Mail This 1st Sunday of Advent we enter a series that will take us through to Christmas Eve called, "On the Way to Bethlehem". We explore what it means to journey in hope, peace, joy and love towards the manger and Emmanuel (God With Us). We start today in Rome: A Place of Longing. As we pilgrimage through this series, we will consider what transformation happens within each...

Send us Fan Mail Grab some juice and bread/cracker and join us as we Celebrate the Open Invitation to God's Table.  After 23 years of serving as our Music Minister, Ron Stevenson is retiring at the end of December, 2024 (the month of this service). As a kick-off to his final month, we invited Ron to sit in the church and let us minister to him. We also invited Ron to be the first to come forw...

Send us Fan Mail The phrase "Do not fear" is mentioned 98 times throughout scripture. "Fear not" comes up 169 times. And the topic of 'Fear' comes up 515 times. In today's passage, a widow going home to prepare the last meal for herself and her son is approached by a prophet and asked to make some for him. The promise she is told, is that God will bless that givi...

Send us Fan Mail Today we discuss the Temple. Actually, there were 2 great Jerusalem temples built and both were destroyed. While we may marvel at great architectural wonders and some things of this world, our true home is in the heaven and earth to come in God's good time. In the meantime, we are to: (1) Discern whether what we are being told fits with the larger story of the God we know, lo...

Send us Fan Mail This portion of our service 10 Nov 2024 was dedicated to honouring Remembrance Day. There are words of Remembrance, Poems, Lighting of Candles, a Slideshow of veterans, a moment of silence and Ian Cohen on Trumpet plays throughout the service and here particularly, "The Last Post". 0:00-4:26 Words of Remembrance 4:27-7:43 Silence while a Slideshow of Veterans pictures pl...

Send us Fan Mail Our Minister Lauren was away on vacation this week so Rev. Maggie Watts-Hammond generously stepped in to offer this beautiful Communion/Eucharist liturgy on the 1st Sunday of November, 2024. 

Send us Fan Mail This 1st Sunday of November, 2024 our Minister Lauren was away and we were fortunate to have Rev. Dr. Ray Aldred leading service and preaching. Ray is the Director of Indigenous Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, He is a husband, father and grandfather, ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada. He is status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8 in Alberta. Born in Northern Al...

Send us Fan Mail This was a Big day at South Arm with plenty of reasons to celebrate! In the service as we spoke about God having a remnant of people seeking to follow Godself, we welcomed 7 new people into membership (Baptizing a family of 4 and Re-affirming the Baptismal vows of 3 others). The choir was with us to celebrate this big day. And John Yu was with us to take professional photos of the...

Send us Fan Mail Today we learn about an important and much lesser known person in The Bible, Melchizedek. In Rabbinic tradition, it was Melchizedek who bestowed priesthood on Abraham. And it is from Abraham that the story of Israel really begins. The first of the Patriarchs of our faith. Melchizedek's very name means King of RIghteousness. Melchizedek was both King (of Salem) and High Priest...

Send us Fan Mail Today we learn about the role of the High Priest and why it matters that Jesus is our Great High Priest (among many other roles Jesus fulfills). Music between the scripture and sermon "This is God's Wondrous World" (Voices United Hymnal #296). Words: Malthie Davenport Babcock, 1901. Music: English traditional melody, adapt. Franklin L. Sheppard 1915, adapt. Stanley...